Device for supplying cigarettes into a magazine of a packing machine



May 5, 1970 FOCKE 3,509,986

DEVICE FOR SUPPLYING CIGARETTES INTO A MAGAZINE OF A PACKING MACHINE Filed Nov. 15, 1967 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. I

In ventor:

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M 5 H. FOCKE DEVICE FOR SUPPLYING CIGARETTES INTO A MAGAZINE OF A PACKING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 13, 1967 HQ am 9 9 In van tor:

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May 5, 1970 FOCKE 3,509,986

DEVICE FOR SUPPLYING CIGARETTES INTO A MAGAZINE OF A PACKING MACHINE Filed Nov. 15, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 1- \I\ J A N max.

In ventar: HE/wz Rae/ 5 ATTY8.

3,509,986 Patented May 5, 1970 3,509 986 DEVICE FOR SUPPLYING CIGARETTES INTO A MAGAZINE OF A PACKING MACHINE Heinz Focke, Siemensstrasse, 309 Verden, Germany Filed Nov. 13, 1967, Ser. No. 682,236 Claims priority, applicgtig: 6(ge7rrnany, Nov. 12, 1966,

Int. Cl. Bes 47/44 US. Cl. 198-69 12 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a method of and a device for supplying cigarettes from a cigarette manufacturing machine or the like to a magazine of a packing machine to form groups of cigarettes.

The finished cigarettes must be ordered into groups before they can be packed. The number of cigarettes of each group is equal to that accommodated in a cigarette package. For this purpose, packing machines are customarily equipped with magazines which receive the cigarettes and from which they are discharged for the formation of cigarette groups. The magazines are provided on the outlet side with a plurality of adjacent divisions in which the individual cigarettes lie on each other.

Heretofore, it has been customary to put the cigarettes coming out of the cigarette manufacturing machine, whether that be a machine for mounting filters in the case of filter cigarettes, or a rolling machine for filter-less cigarettes, into trestle-like receptacles. The trestle-like receptacles filled with cigarettes are then, as occasion demands, emptied into the magazine by hand or by devices that hold several trestle-like receptacles. This operation is relatively complicated since, first of all, particular devices for filling the trestle-like receptacles must be provided, and then workers must transport the trestlelike receptacles to the packing machine and empty them into the magazine as occasion demands.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to eliminate these disadvantages of the known devices and more particularly to make the use of trestle-like receptacles completely superfluous.

Another object of the invention is based on problems resulting from the elimination of trestle-like receptacles.

A further object of the invention is the simplification of the supply of cigarettes into the magazine of the packing machine in such a manner that the equipment and personnel necessary are reduced.

A still further object of the invention is to monitor the quantity of cigarettes in the magazine and, by taking this quantity into consideration, to control the supply of cigarettes into the magazine by the conveyor means as well as their discharge from the magazine, due to the unavoidable reason that these levels cannot be held uniform and constant so that in some cases the cigarettes either are supplied faster than they are discharged or, conversely, are discharged faster than they are supplied.

Moreover, an object of the invention concerns the distribution of cigarettes in the magazine. This object is particularly essential when the magazines are relatively long and the cigarettes are only supplied from one side by the conveyor means.

According to the present invention, the method comprises supplying the cigarettes without the use of trastlelike receptacles from said cigarette manufacturing machine into said magazine by means of a continuous conveyor means.

The device for carrying out the method according to the invention comprises a continuous conveyor means arranged between the cigarette manufacturing machine and the magazine to directly supply the cigarettes from the cigarette manufacturing machine into said magazine.

The trestle-like receptacles used to date are eliminated by the startling simple and effective proposal of the invention. Moreover, the devices for filling the trestle-like receptacles can be discarded. Instead of them, all that is necessary is a relatively simple conveyor means, preferably a conveyor belt, which conveys the cigarettes directly from the cigarette manufacturing machine into the magazine.

According to another proposal of the invention at least one cigarette reservoir may be associated with the magazine to receive cigarettes when they are supplied faster than they are discharged and to discharge them when they are discharged from the magazine faster than they are supplied. When the cigarettes are supplied or discharged irregularly the plant including the cigarette manufacturing machine need not be turned oil, which is a result of the above-mentioned proposal of the invention since the use of cigarette reservoirs creates a substantial cushion which balances these irregularities.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS One embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a cigarette magazine according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view, on an enlarged scale, of a detail of the conveyor means of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section through the cigarette magazine, and

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of the control of the cigarette reservoirs.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The invention is concerned with supplying cigarettes into a magazine 10 seen in FIGS. 1 and 3. customarily, the cigarettes are discharged from a cigarette manufacturing machine not shown in the drawings. The magazine 10 serves to form groups of cigarettes for a packing machine, also not shown, with which it is associated. The discharge end of the magazine 10 is provided with a plurality of divisions 11 in which the individual cigarettes lie on each other.

The cigarettes issuing from the cigarette manufacturing machine are led directly into the magazine 10 by means of a conveyor belt 13. The cigarettes can be passed directly from the cigarette manufacturing machine onto the conveyor belt 13 so that a direct connection exists between the magazine 10 and the cigarette manufacturing machine. In this manner, the trestle-like receptacles used to date as well as the devices to fill these receptacles are eliminated. As seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the conveyor belt 13 can extend through a path that ascends or descends obliquely, or is horizontal. It is convenient to provide conveyor belts 13 running obliquely with entrainment means such as troughs 14 seen in FIG. 2 in which the cigarettes lie securely as they are conveyed.

The supply of the cigarettes into the magazine by a conveyor belt 13 involves various problems which are dealt with and solved by the invention. In order to allow for an adaptation to an irregular supply of cigarettes into or, if necessary, their discharge from the magazine 10, the invention provides cigarette reservoirs which work as a cushion by taking up incoming cigarettes as occasion demands or by giving them up into the magazine 10 as necessary. In the embodiment according to FIG. 3, a loop 15 is provided as one cigarette reservoir. This loop 15 is provided outside the machine on the supply side, abutting directly on the conveyor belt 13. One end 15a of the loop 15 is fixed while its other end can be wound up or off the winding roller 16 as occasion demands.

The loop 15 working as a cigarette reservoir has a normal position which is illustrated by the solid line in FIG. 3. This normal position in which a certain number of cigarettes are taken up by the loop 15 corresponds to the normal quantity of cigarettes in magazine 10. In case of unintentional irregularities in the supply or discharge of cigarettes such that more cigarettes than the magazine 10 can accommodate come from the cigarette manu facturing machine, the corresponding additional cigarettes are taken up by the loop 15 as it is wound off winding roller 16. The loop 15 can be wound off until a maximum position shown by dash-and-dot line x in FIG. 3 is reached.

Conversely, when the cigarettes are discharged from the magazine 10 faster than they are supplied by the conveyor belt 13, the loop 15 is wound up on the winding roller 16 and cigarettes are additionally discharged from that cigarette reservoir into the magazine 10. The loop 15 can be wound up thus discharging cigarettes until a minimum position shown by dash-and-dot line y in FIG. 3 is reached.

The cigarette reservoir open at the top and formed by the loop 15 is mounted directly adjacent the conveyor belt 13 so that the supplied cigarettes constantly ride over it and, as occasion demands, automatically enter into this reservoir to some extent or are discharged from it.

In order to prevent more cigarettes from being supplied in the maximum position shown by x in FIG. 3 or discharged in the minimum position shown by y in FIG. 3, respectively, the cigarette manufacturing machine can be switched olf by a suitable switch. However, it is also possible to provide another cigarette reservoir as shown in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 3. This other reservoir is formed by a pivotable wall 17 of the magazine 10. When the maximum position x of the loop 15 is reached, the pivotable wall 17 moves corresponding to the further excessive supply of cigarettes out of the position shown by the solid line into that of the dot-and-dash line which results in a considerable increase in capacity of the magazine 10. When this second cigarette reservoir also fills up and reaches its end position of pivotable wall 17 shown by dot and dash line, a general machine stop can be eifected by a switch 18. As the reservoir of cigarettes formed by the pivotable wall 17 decreases corresponding to the amount discharged, the pivotable wall 17 returns to its normal position and then the reservoir formed from the loop 15 diminishes to its normal position.

A feeler 19 mounted in the magazine 10 which controls the cigarette reservoir formed by the loop 15 consists of a pivotable arm terminating in a flexible end segment 20 lying on the cigarettes. The feeler 19 senses the level of cigarettes in the magazine 10 and controls the thereon dependent cigarette reservoir formed by the loop 15. The winding roller 16 is driven by reversible motor 21 in the direction necessary for winding the loop 15 up or off corresponding to the level of cigarettes sensed by feeler 19.

A preferred example of the electronic control of the winder roller 16 is illustrated in FIG. 4 showing a diagram. The movements of the feeler 19 are transmitted to a potentiometer 22 coupled mechanically to the feeler 19. The normal position of the feeler 19 and the potentiometer 22 is illustrated by solid lines. This position also corresponds to the normal position of the loop 15. The resistance of the potentiometer 22 is determined by its position and is transmitted to a DC bridge 23. When the feeler 19 is in normal position which corresponds to the middle position of the potentiometer 22, the DC bridge 23 is balanced.

However, if the position of the feeler 19 deviates from the normal, the DC bridge 23 becomes unbalanced. The current flowing in the diagonally opposite arm of the DC bridge 23 is then fed into a difi'erential amplifier 24 which controls the motor 21 by a power amplifier 25 in such a manner that the direction and size of the deviation of the feeler 19 are a measure of the direction of rotation and of the speed of the motor 21.

The speed and sensitivity of response of the control are adjusted with the help of a timing element 26' and a sensitivity element 27 corresponding to the requirements of the moment. A power supply 28 is shown in the circuit diagram, FIG. 4.

FIG. 4 merely shows a circuit diagram of a preferred embodiment of the electronic control of the loop 15 which depends on the amount of cigarettes in the magazine.

A further problem resides in the largely uniform distribution of the cigarettes in the magazine, particularly in case the cigarettes are supplied by the conveyor belt 13 from one side and in case the maganzines 10 are relatively long. A plurality of conveyor elements 29'are arranged in the magazine 10 in the direction and plane of the conveyors for effecting an ordering and distribution of the cigarettes across the whole length of the magazine 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the conveyor elements 29 which rotate in the direction of arrow 30 are driven bars having a prismatic and preferably substantially square cross section with bevelled edges. Distributor plates 31 co-operating with the conveyor elements 29 can swing with an arm 32 gripping over these conveyor elements 29. The conveyor elements 29 which have the form of transversely extending bars are provided with a plurality of grooves around them next to one another which are engaged by the arms 32 of the conveyor eelments 29. A surprisingly good and uniform distribution of the cigarettes in the magazine 10 is attained by these conveyor elements 29 in conjunction with the distributor plates 31. The conveyor elements 29 are preferably driven by a common driving belt 34 rotating outside the magazine 10.

In addition, several driven reciprocating loosening bars 33 having a peaked, roof-like upper side are provided inside the magazine 10. These driven reciprocating loosening bars 33 assure that the cigarettes in the magazine 10 lie in order and parallel to each other.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicatedby the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:

.1. A device for supplying cigarettes to a supply magazine of a packing machine from a cigarette manufacturing machine comprising:

(a) means mounting a continuous conveyor belt means between said cigarette manufacturing machine and said supply magazine of a packing machine,

((1) said supply magazine is associated with at least one cigarette reservoir to receive cigarettes when they are supplied faster than they are discharged and to discharge them when they are discharged from the magazine faster than they are supplied,

(c) said supply magazine includes a winding roller and said cigarette reservoir includes a loop in said conveyor belt means which is open at the top for receiving cigarettes, which loop is wound off said winding roller to receive cigarettes and is wound up on said winding roller to discharge said cigarettes.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a feeler is provided to sense the level of cigarettes in the magazine and to control the discharge of cigarettes from or the supply of cigarettes to the cigarette reservoir in corre spondance with said level of cigarettes.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein another cigarette reservoir is actuated by a switch on the feeler when the amount of cigarettes exceeds the maximum capacity of the magazine and which reservoir can discharge cigarettes also as occasion demands when the level of cigarettes in the magazine sinksj 4. A device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said other cigarette reservoir is formed by a movable wall of the magazine, said wall actuating a switch which stops the cigarette manufacturing machine when the quantity of cigarettes reaches the maximum capacity of the magazine.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said wall of the magazine is pivotable.

6. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the controls of the cigarette reservoir are governed by the angular position of the feeler through an electric control means.

7. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the control of the drive of the winding rollers for the loop is governed by the angular position of the feeler through an electric control means.

8. A device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the feeler is mechanically coupled with a potentiometer which is connected through a DC bridge to a reversible motor which drives the Winding roller, said DC bridge being balanced when the feeler is in normal position.

9. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cigarettes are supplied into the magazine on one side thereof, and wherein conveyor elements arranged in cascade form are provided within the magazine to uniformly distribute and convey the cigarettes across the-whole length of the magazine.

10. A device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the conveyor elements comprise a plurality of rotating driven bars of prismatic cross section.

11. A device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the conveyor elements substantially are of square cross section.

12. A device as claimed in claim 9, wherein pivotable distributor plates bear against the conveyor elements and partly engage in grooves provided side by side on the conveyor elements.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,297,138 1/1967 McCombie l98-139 X 3,305,128 2/1967 Dearsley 198-62 X 3,355,004 11/1967 Rupert 2l4l7 X EDWARQ A. SROKA, Primary Examiner 

